Just like every other type of cancer, mouth cancer (oral cancer) is curable if it’s detected and treated early. At the earliest stage of mouth cancer, relatively minor surgeries and medications can be used to remove the cancerous cells and make sure that the cancer will never return. The success of the treatment and the survival of a patient greatly depends on the time of his or her diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis and treatments increases the the chances of survival after treatment.
During the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers, the stage and the extent the cancer has spread really matters. For all stages of oral and oropharyngeal cancers, the survival rate after one year is 81 percent. While the survival rate after five years and ten years are 56 and 41 percent respectively. So, it’s always important to report to your dentist or doctor immediately if you notice any abnormal changes in your mouth, lips, throat, or neck. Early detection is crucial in improving mortality rates for these types of cancers.
However, for you to understand better on how oral cancers and oropharyngeal cancers can be cured, you need to know about the early symptoms, types, diagnosis, and treatment options for these conditions in the oral cavity. Maintaining good oral health is crucial in preventing and managing these diseases.
What are the early signs of mouth cancer?
Oral cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma, are part of a group of head and neck cancers. The cancer can develop from precancerous lesions and may require radiation treatment. It is important to visit a dentist regularly for oral health check-ups.
-
In the pharynx (throat): this includes hard and soft palate , the back of your tongue, the back of your throat, tonsils and sinuses.
-
In the mouth: this includes the roof of the mouth, floor of the mouth, lips, gums, the lining of the cheeks, and on the surface of the tongue.
Oral cancers usually come with sores, swelling and lumps on the lips, mouth, throat and around the jaw. Most patients also experience loose teeth, unusual bleeding, pain, or numbness in the mouth and persistent bad breath. Well, all this can cause severe pain and even interfere with eating, swallowing, breathing and even talking. In addition, people with mouth cancer usually have leukoplakia. Leukoplakia is a form of white or red patches that develops on the surface of the inner lining of the mouth and cheek. These patches usually bleeds easily in most cases and doesn’t come off if rubbed.
Although leukoplakia is often seen in people that use tobacco and alcohol, it can also be associated with mouth cancers and oral cancers. In most cases, leukoplakia can be precancerous, meaning that they may develop into various types of cancer, including those caused by HPV. It is important to monitor and seek treatment for any suspicious lesions.
What are the types of Mouth cancer?
Not all tumors found in the mouth are cancerous. Some of the lesions, such as benign tumors and tumor-like conditions, can develop in the oral cavity and oropharynx. Examples of these benign lesions include Granular cell tumor, Karatoacanthoma, Leiomyoma, Osteochondroma, Lipoma, Schwannoma, Neurofibroma, and Papilloma. In many cases, surgery is used to remove these benign lesions. However, some of these lesions are considered “precancerous” and may require further treatment such as radiation or radiotherapy to prevent them from developing into cancer.
Of all the types of cancers that occur in the oral cavity, more than 90 percent of these cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinoma develops when some squamous cells mutate and become abnormal. These cancers usually occur in the lining of the oral cavity. They can spread deeper into other nearby parts of the mouth as more days passes. Precancerous lesions, HPV, radiation, and patients can all play a role in the development and treatment of these cancers.
Another type of oral cancers is known as Minor salivary gland carcinomas. This includes several types of oral cancer that develops on the minor salivary glands, which are located throughout the lining of the mouth and throat. These include adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma. (1)
How is oral cancer diagnosed?
If a patient is experiencing symptoms of oral cancer, a dentist or doctor can perform certain oral examination to determine whether the patient is suffering from oral cancer. Some of these tests includes screening for precancerous lesions.
-
Physical examination: the doctor will have to look at and feel the patient’s lips, entire mouth and throat in search of any abnormalities such as lumps, sores, bleeding, swelling and leukoplakia.
-
Biopsy: if the doctor finds any suspicious growth such as tumor or lesions, he will take some tissues from there for biopsy. Biopsy is usually performed in the laboratory, to test for the presence of cancer cells within the tissue sample taken from the tumor or lesions.
-
Imaging tests: this includes X-rays, CT scans, PET scan and MRI scans. These tests are to see whether there is presence of cancer in the lymph nodes or other organs in the body. The tests checks to know if there is cancerous tumour in your mouth, throat, neck, lungs, jaw or elsewhere in your body.
-
Endoscopy: this procedure is done with the use of flexible torch and camera. The camera is passed into the nasal passages, sinuses, inner throat, windpipe, and trachea to check for cancerous tumors.
Is mouth cancer curable?
Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer, is a curable condition. However, early detection is crucial for better chances of survival. In the early stages, surgery is often the primary treatment option. Oral cancer can spread to the throat and other organs, making advanced stages more challenging to treat. Regular screenings by a doctor can help in detecting mouth cancer and reducing mortality rates.
However, your treatment for oral cancers in the oral cavity will depend on a number of things. The tumor size, the type of the cancer, the extent it has spread, location of the tumor, and your general health condition will determine the right course of treatment for you. Here are some of the available treatment options for oral cancers: hpv and non-hpv related lesions.
-
Surgery: depending on the size and the location of the cancer, a surgeon might need to make some incisions in the neck or jawbone to remove the cancerous cells. Surgery involves the removal of the entire tumors, only healthy tissue are left behind. The surgeon may need to reconstruct some part of your mouth, if you are not able to talk or eat after the surgery.
-
Radiation therapy: oral cancers are sensitive to radiotherapy. Radiation therapy involves the use of high energy x-ray beam or particles to destroy cancer cells. This treatment is highly accurate since the equipments and rays are specially designed to spare healthy tissue and eliminate only cancer cells.
-
Chemotherapy: chemotherapy involves the use of powerful medications to destroy the cancer cells by damaging its DNA at varying stages of their growth cycles. To increase effectiveness, chemotherapy is often combined with radiation therapy.
-
Targeted drug therapy: this treatment option also involves the use of powerful medicines for fighting cancer. Targeted drug therapy works by interfering with cancer cell growth on a molecular level. It is often combined with radiation therapy and chemotherapy to increase it’s effectiveness.
-
Immunotherapy: this are special drugs that are designed to help our immune system to identify and kill cancer cells within the body. This treatment option is sometimes recommended after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Finally, it’s important to know that all these available treatments for mouth cancer have some serious side effects. In my previous post, I listed some of the dangerous side effects of each of the treatment options that I listed above. You can read the post here – Treatments for mouth cancer +their side effects.
Richard Smith is a Registered Nutritionist and also a Health Speaker. Richard Smith graduated from The City University of New York. You can learn more about him by Visiting His LinkedIn Page or Follow him on Twitter.
Note: All links leading to our recommended products are all verified to be the products’ official website, so as to ensure you get the original product at no additional cost to you.
One comment
Comments are closed.